A shambolic defeat against ten-man Wigan has jeopardised Leeds United’s hopes of securing automatic promotion to the Premier League. But they must keep pushing for it in the three remaining fixtures, and their Easter Monday clash against Brentford is tipped to be an engaging one at Griffin Park.
Exhaustion and fatigue might be the reason for the dip in performance, but the Whites must overcome the difficulties and regroup themselves to deliver a stellar show to register a commanding victory. The Bees are set for a midtable finish but have exhibited their excellence on many occasions. They were majestic at Elland Road in the reverse tie and would look to derail Leeds’ campaign entirely by snatching a result.
Leeds United Team News
Leeds had a long list of injuries all season and are still without a couple of key individuals. Barry Douglas is out for the season with a knee ligament injury whereas skipper Liam Cooper, sidelined with a muscle problem, is set to miss their trip to Greater London on Monday evening.
Leeds United Formation
Marcelo Bielsa, known for his creativity with team set-ups, has not experimented much with formations since taking charge of the Yorkshire giants and is expected to line the Whites up in a usual 4-1-4-1 against Brentford.
Defence
Roping in Kiko Casilla was indeed a smart piece of business by the iconic Argentine. The custodian has replaced Bailey Peacock-Farrell between the sticks and should keep on protecting the goal for the remainder of the campaign.
Luke Ayling had a dismal outing against the Latics but must uplift his display versus the Bees while operating from his right-back role. An injury to Liam Cooper has brought back fit-again Gaetano Berardi to partner Pontus Jansson in central defence. Barry Douglas is ruled out for the season, and the gaffer has banked on Ezgjan Alioski to feature as a makeshift left-back for the remaining fixtures.
Midfield
Bielsa should make some alterations in the middle of the park to avoid fatigue and inject freshness. Kalvin Phillips is likely to be deployed in the hole to link up between the backline and midfield four.
Adam Forshaw should be handed a start in central midfield alongside Mateusz Klich whereas young Tyler Roberts would produce much more if utilised down the left flank in place of Jack Harrison. Pablo Hernandez missed a spot-kick against Wigan but must keep on dictating the Whites’ attacking build-ups from the right-hand side.
Attack
Although Kemar Roofe is fit enough to start games, Bielsa should rely on Patrick Bamford due to his decent scoring record of late. Roofe is yet to regain his rhythm and should concentrate on the same if introduced at some stage of the game.
